Improvement in breech-loading fire-arms



J. C. WELLES.

BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS. No.177.905. Patented May 23,1876.

VESSEST' the breech-piece in UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN G. WELLES, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

IMPROVEMENT IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 177,905, dated May 23,1876 application filed April 10, 1876.

To all whom it may. concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN (3. WELLES, of Milwaukee, in the county ofMilwaukee, in the State of Wisconsin, have invented certain Improvementsin Breech-Loading Fire-Arms, of which the following is a specificationThe object of my invention is the improvement of breech-loadingfire-arms by securing the breech to the barrel more securely.

This firearm is of that class denominated tilting fire-arms, and has thepeculiarity of a key-bolt, which looks the lower portion of thebreech-piece to the barrel of the arm, and also looks the key-bolt intoan extension-rib and the top of the barrel, making a double lockingdevice.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional View of my invention, and Fig. 2 aview of the keybolt. v

A is the barrel of the fire-arm B, the breechpiece; G, a piece securedto the bottom of the barrel of the arm, with its rear end hollowed outto fit on over the forward end of the breech-piece, working on pin D, sothat the,

breech'piece may turn and be kept in place;

- E, an extension-rib extending out in rear of the barrel of the gun,with an indented slot in same, into which'a key-bolt locks and holdsplace; F, a key-bolt, the upper end of which is filed 011' square on oneside and a groove or notch cut in the other side,'which, as the key-boltis turned, hooks into the slot-catch in the rib E, and holds thebreech-piece firmly in place. The square filed off on one side of thekey-bolt F permits the extension-rib E to come down over same. G, anotch in the key-bolt, cut out so as to make a lock in it, so that asthe key-bolt is turned it hooks over a slot in the lump H, and a hook,I, on the top of key-bolt F, which, as itis turned, looks into the slotK in the extension-rib, and thus fastens the breech-piece and barreltogether; L, aspringand key on the bottom ofkey-bolt F. When the lever Mis turned sidewise'to unlock the key-bolt front the extension-rib andthe lump H on the barrel, and the breech is lowered or the barreltilted, the key L is forced out into a slot in the guard on the bottomof the breech-piece, which will hold the lever firmly back while thebreech-piece is lowered, and when the breech-piece is raised up in placeagain, the keyL will be pressed in again by the lump H striking againstit, and the lever can be turned back again. M, 1ever with which to turnthe key-bolt and release the breech-piece from the barrel, when thebreech-piece can be tilted down and the load put into the barrel, andthen the breech-piece put back again, and the lever turned back,

and the arm is secure;

I claim as new and as my invention- 1. Key-boltF, made with one side ofits head square, and also of one solid piece, and

extending up into rib E, and looking into same, and pressing against theback side of the notch in the extension-rib, holding the breech-pieceand barrel together, both vertically and horizontally, substantially asdesciibed;

2. Key-bolt F and spring 'L, in combination with barrel A andbreech-piece B, substan tia-lly as described.

JOHN C. WELLES.

Witnesses:

J. B. SMITH, A. SCHATTENBERG.

